Gas bukkter igniter



Feb. 14, 1939.

GAS BURNER IGNITER Filed May 17, l9-

IHI

14 u 1 W 31:: 'i

J. H. G. HORSTMANN 2,146,896

Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAS BURNER IGNITER John Hermann Gustav Horstmann, Bath, Somerset, England 6 Claims.

This invention relates to igniting appliances for gas burners of the type which include an igniting burner supplied with gas introduced into the appliance, together with means to ignite said igniting burner. Said means is conveniently but not necessarily a catalytic filament of platinum. or the like temporarily heated electrically by a dry battery self-contained in the appliance and past which gas from the igniting burner flows.

1,0 The appliance is primarily intended to be used for the ignition of burners of gas cookers, gas fires and the like, for which purpose it would be permanently attached to the cooker or the like, and thus would be semi-portable or captive.

1;; Igniting appliances of this nature will project a flame towards the burner of the stove or the like to be ignited.

It is the object of the present invention to combine an appliance of the aforesaid type with 20 means whereby, when held in the hand, the full eifectof the projected flame can only be obtained when the appliance is pointed downwardly. In other words, should the appliance be pointed horizontally or upwardly, either inadvertently or 25 for other reasons, no flame at all will be projected or only a feeble flame unlikely to do any damage to persons in the vicinity.

According to the invention there is interposed at any convenient point of the gas way tothe 30 igniting burner, which normally, in the igniting position, would be directeddownwardly towards the burner, a gravity actuated valve of any suitable description to act as a safety cut-off valve.

The disposition and arrangement is such that in the normal use of the appliance with its igniting end directed downwardly a ball or equivalent valve would roll or slide off its seating and leave the gas passage open, but if this end of the appliance is pointed upwardly then the valve would shut. The word shut means the shut position wherein either a complete closure of the valve is eifected, or alternatively a substantial closure allowing a weep of gas to pass to the igniting burner cutting the flame down to a harmless 45 feeble one.

The appliance includes the igniting burner combined as a part thereof which may be disposed adjacent to an ignition filament as hereinbefore explained, the safety cut-01f valve, and a 50 union, tube or the like on the appliance for connecting it to a gas supply, whilst a main control valve may be built in with the appliance in the manner hereinafter described or in any other suitable way.

55 An embodiment of the invention will be described, by way of example, with the aid of the accompanying drawing showing the same insectional elevation.

In the drawing, the igniting burner is located in the hood I and is fed with gas via the manual control valve, there being a union nozzle 3 for introducing gas into the appliance. It will be seen that the housing 4 of the control valve 2 forms the body of the appliance to which elongated outer casings 5 and 6 are attached. The 10 igniting burner is housed in the casing 5 near the orifice i at the end thereof, so that when the burner is ignited a flame of considerable amplitude will (normally) be projected out of the appliance through the orifice.

The control valve body 4 is formed with a right-angular gas exit branch 8 extending along the elongated casing E to feed the igniting burner, and a second valve housing 9 is arranged in this branch. In this housing is disposed the gravity 2o actuated valve ID which may take the form of a cylindrical sliding block with conical end as shown.

It will be seen that when the appliance is held with its igniting end pointed upwardly the valve I0 closes the passage 8 and cuts off the igniting flame. Conversely when the igniting end is pointed downwardly, valve [0 slides away from its seating and opens the passageway 8 (it being understood that there is a peripheral gas duct on the block or plug l0 indicated by the line H). Consequently, in this latter position, when the control valve 2 is opened, gas will flow to the igniting burner.

In the embodiment an igniting filament (also housed in the hood I) is employed. The leads are connected to the dry battery l2, a switch of any suitable design being interposed at I3 whereby the press-stud l4 may be employed to operate the switch l3 and valve 2 simultaneously.

As hereinbefore mentioned, the gravity-actuated or safety valve may be located at other points in or on the appliance to achieve the same result, and in this respect a position at or adjacent the inlet connection 3 may be mentioned as one 5 example.

I claim:

1. An igniting appliance for gas burners including a casing having an igniting end, an igniting burner in the casing, a gas way-to feed the igniting burner, an igniting device associated with the igniting burner, a main valve controlling flow of gas through said gas way, a gravity actuated safety valve interposed in said gas way between the control valve and the igniting burner, said safety valve being so disposed that it assumes the shut position when the igniting end of the appliance is pointed upwardly, a switch controlling operation of said ignition device, and a single actuating element for said main valve and said switch.

2. An igniting appliance for gas burners including an elongated casing having an igniting end with a flame orifice, an igniting burner in the casing adjacent the orifice, a gas way to feed the igniting burner, an ignition device associated with the igniting burner, a main valve controlling fiow of gas through said gas way, means tending constantly to close said main valve, a gravity actuated safety valve interposed in said gas way between the control valve and the igniting burner, said safety valve being so disposed that it assumes the shut position when the igniting end of the appliance is pointed upwardly, a normally open switch controlling operation of said ignition device, and a depressible button operable when depressed to open said main valve and to close said switch.

3. An igniting appliance for gas burners including an elongated casing having an igniting end .-with a flame orifice, an igniting burner in the casing adjacent the orifice, a gas way to feed the igniting burner, an igniting filament associated with the igniting burner, a main control valve having an operating press stud and located in the gas way, a gravity actuated safety valve interposed in said gas way between the control valve and the igniting burner, said safety valve being so disposed that it assumes the shut position when the igniting end of the appliance is pointed upwardly, said press stud for the main control valve being adapted to actuate an electric switch in the igniting filament circuit.

4. An igniting appliance for gas burners including a body adapted to be grasped in the hand, an

qu elongated casing extending from said body and provided with a fiame emitting orifice, a burner within the casing adjacent the' orifice, means forming a gas conduit within the body and casing and including a portion projecting exteriorally of the body to connect with a gas supply tube for establishing communication between the burner and a source of gas supply, a manually operated valve arranged in said body and controlling the flow of gas through said conduit, igniting means for the burner, and means actuated by said valve means for controlling the said igniting means for the burner.

5. An igniting appliance for gas burners including a body adapted to be grasped in the hand, a casing projecting from one end of the body and having a flame emitting orifice, means forming a gas conduit within the body and casing, said means comprising angularly related portions one of which leads to a burner disposed adjacent said flame orifice and the other of which projects out of the casing to communicate with a gas supply connection, manually operated valve means for controlling the flow of gas in the means forming said conduit, gravity operated valve means in the portion of the conduit leading to the burner arranged to move to the closed position when the end of the casing having the flame orifice is pointed upwardly, and means controlled by said manually operated valve for igniting gas issuing from the burner.

67 A device of the character described comprising a gas burner, a gas supply pipe connected to said burner, a valve controlling flow of gas through said pipe to said burner, means tending constantly to close said valve, means to cut off fiow of gas to the burner when said valve is open and the burner is pointed upwardly, an ignition device associated with said burner, a normally open switch controlling operation of said ignition device, and a single manually operable means for opening said valve and closing said switch.

JOHN HERMANN GUSTAV HORS'IMANN. 

